Diamond Aircraft targets growing special missions market

Special mission aircraft are becoming an important part of the defence and civil defence industries. General aviation manufacturers are now providing a lot of the equipment governments are using.
Christian Dries, CEO, Diamond Aircraft, told us about some of Diamond’s latest special missions aircraft and their uses.

Diamond DA62 MP

The Diamond DA62 MPP (multi-purpose platform) builds on the company’s success with multi-mission versions of the smaller DA42. It is suitable for law enforcement operations, search and rescue missions, land and sea border surveillance, disaster management, infrastructure and environmental monitoring, airport landing systems calibration and more.

Dries said: [The DA62] aircraft has a lot of advantages. Because of its carbon structure it’s very difficult to detect by radar. It has an on-top exhaust system which creates low noise and a very low infrared signature.”

DA62s are equipped with a range of sensors which are camera systems as well as gamma ray detectors.

Diamond DART-450

Dries also highlighted the DART-450, described as: “The world's first all-carbon fibre tandem, 2-seat aerobatic civilian trainer with sidestick control and ejection seats.”

It has an endurance of over 8.5 hours and a range of over 1,600 nautical miles.

Diamond special missions aircrafts are in operation all around the world and the number required is increasing, Dries says, “because we have to observe more to make the right decisions”.

Watch the video for more details and to get a better look at the aircraft.